Door latch



G. H. ELWELL DOOR LATCH Filed Feb. 18, 1921 Patented Jan. 13, 1925. p

UNITED STATES GEORGE HENRY ELWELL, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

noon LATCH.

Application filed February 18, 1921. Serial No. 446,106.

To (ZZZ 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE HENRY EL- wELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of lVayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door Latches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in door latches and more particularly to that class of latches employing a bolt for positive and anti-rattle engagement with the keeper. V

The objects of my invention are to provide a'latch bolt fully adapted to the elasticity of motor car bodies and like uses; to provide a latch bolt that in locked position is adapted to maintain a fixed relation with its keeper but does not depend upon its relative position to the keeper for its closing operation; and to provide a bolt advancing spring means the operative tension of which may be removed from the bolt to operate a door opening member.

lVith these and other objects in View, as will more fully hereinafter appear, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and particularly pointed out wherein patentable novelty is claimed for certain features of the device,

it being understood that within the scope of what hereinafter thus is claimed various details of the construction can be made without departing from the spirit or modifying any ofithe advantages of the invention.

The following is the description of an embodiment of my invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which Figure l is a side elevation of the device with inner casing shown in dotted line;

fi Figure 2 is a face view of the preceding "'UI'B' Figrire 3 is a side elevation of a modification of the device, the mechanism being shown in dotted line where covered by inner casing;

Figure 4 is a detailed view of bolt head in fixed relation to keeper; and A Figure 5 is a detailed view of spring lever and helical spring.

Referring more particularly to the drawing :-Casing 1 is a base-plate having face 2 formed by bending said base-plate, as

shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4. Perforation 3 in face 2 together with slot guide 23 in inner casing 1 attached to casing 1 provides the guiding means for bolt head 6 and slotted bolt arm 7 respectively, permitting bolt 5 to advance beyond said face 2 Casing 1 is provided with proper bearings for shaft 16 journalled thereto and extending parallel with said face 2, as shown in Figures 1,2 and 3. Casing l is also provided with perforations 27 and 28 to receive and provide bearings for the end of spindle socket shaft 22 and .spring lever shaft 14, respectively.

lnner casing 4 is riveted to casing 1 and is provided with perforations 27 and 28 to receive and provide bearings for the other end of each of said shafts 22 and 1 1, respectively. Said inner casing i is also provided with rolled section 25 said section being rolled around crank shaft 13 providing a bearing within which said shaft 13 may partially rotate with the crank end 18 of said shaft 13 projecting through slot 26 with which said face 2 of easing 1 is provided, as shown in Figure 2.

Said spindle socket shaft 22 is provided with square perforation 12 to receive a spindle, and said shaft 22 provides a bearing for cam lever ll mounted thereon and keyed thereto so as to make only a shifting movement on said bearing before rotating said shaft 22 Said cam lever 11 is provided with arm 8 adapted for engaging the rear surface of -said bolt head 6 and is also provided with arm 24 for operative engagement by cam end 17 of rotary shaft 16 Spring lever shaft 11 is provided with cam lever 9 adapted for engagement by cam end 15 of crank shaft 13, and said shaft l4 is also provided with a slot 29 adapted to hold the inner terminal 19 of helical spring 20 mounted on said spring lever shaft 14;, as shown in Figure 5. The outer terminal 21 of said spring 20 being adapted to engage the rear surface of arm 8 of cam lever 11 as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

Coiled spring 10 is seated in both the slot of bolt arm 7 and the slot bolt guide in inner casing 1 which slots nor mally superimpose, the rear end of said spring 10 engaging bolt arm T and the forward end engaging check 30 with which inner casin 4 is provided and which lies in slotte arm 7 of bolt said spring 1O normally holdingbolt 5' in a retracted position, as shown in Figure 1Q In operation the crank lever 18, upon closing the door, engages the door-frame,

spring 10, bolt 5, with whichit is engaged, to an advanced position, as shown in I1igure'3, into its keeper 31. The keeper 31 is preferably of such construction as to permit the bolt head 6 to fixedly lodge therein allowing the bolt head 5 to advanceto such an extent only as the fluctuat ingor fixed relative positions of face 2 of casing 1 and the keeper will allow, as shown in Figure 4. There are two selected ways in which the door may be opened. Rotary shaft 16 may be rotated and thereby operate baekwardly said lever cam arm 8 or, by means of a spindle inserted in perfo-' ration 12 of spindle socket shaft 22, said lever cam arm 8 may be similarly operated. As said lEVQI cam arm 8 is thus, in either way, forced backwardly, spring terminal 21 is also forced with it,'and the bolt advancing spring tension having been removed from off bolt 5, coiled spring 10 immediately operates bolt 5 to a retracted position. The forcing backwardly of spring terminal 21 reverses the oper-r ative tension of said spring 20 to its inner terminal 19, forcing spring cam lever 9 upwardly against cam end 15 of crank shaft 13, turning said shaft 13 and operating forwardly said crank 18 against the. door-frame and automatically opening the door as bolt 5 is retracted.

Said crank 18 should preferably be protected by a proper shield to prevent the catching of clothing thereon, p

A modification of the above construction is shown in Figure 3. The crank lever 13 is omitted and the spring lever 9 is of such form and construction as to project through slot, 264 in face 2 of easing 1 and thus said lever 9 is adapted for a lever latch operation with a striker-plate. Said strikerplate to operate this modified construction must be of the well-known type of strikerplates having the striker portion projecting, as it were. from between the door face and the face of the door-frame when the door is closed, the upper part of said striker portion having an inclined edge capable of liftmg said lever .9, as shown in Figure 3, when engaged by that lever upon theclosin of the door. The slot, however, with which such a striker portion is usually-provided should be omitted, the lifting function of such striker portion only being utilized in connection with this modification.

Inplaee of rotary shaft 16 a swinging lever might be made to'opei'ate bolt5.

7 What 1 claim is:

1. In a door-latch having 'a proper casing andcomprising a bolt slid-ably mounted in said casing; spring means adapted to advance and maintain said bolt in anadvanced;

position projecting beyond the face of said in an advanced position projecting. beyond,

the face of said casing; manually operative means to remove the tension of said spring mechanism from oli' said bolt; spring means adaptedto retract said bolt automatically on said removal'of the tension of said spring mexhanism; and means with'which the free edge of the door is provided for automatic yielding engagement with a door-frameand =adapted to re-engage said spring mechanism with the bolt upon closing thedoor.

3. In a latch for vehicle doors the combi nation with a proper casing; of a longitude nally movable bolt, slidably mounted Withof said first loo in said casing; of counteracting sprmg' means exerting spring tensions on said bolt in both longitudinal directions; and of a rotatable shaft and connections between saidshaft andthe bolt advancing spring tension whereby with the rotation of said shaft the bolt advancing spring tension is, removed from said bolt permitting the spring tension in vthe opposite dire'ztion to operate said boltto-a retracted position. I p

4. The combination with a door-frame and a door hinged thereto; of a-proper 0215- 7 ing; of a bolt, with which said casing is moveably provided, for latching saiddoor .in a closed pos tion tosaid frame; of a door opening-means with which said casing is provided at the free edge'of said door and which means is normallyadapted to hold said door. open; and. of spring actuated means normally adapted to hold said door opening means in normal position when said door is open and to advance and maintain said bolt. in a latching'positiou when said door is closed. said spring actuated means comprising a helical spring all of the coils of which lie substantially in the same plane with the inner terminal of said spring fixedly engaged witha lever pivotally mounted on said casing, said lever being operatively provided with said door opening means and-the outer terminal of saidspring directly providing the bolt advancing spring tension on said bolt when said door is closed against said door opening means.

5. In a door latch having a proper casing and comprising adoor opening device with which the face of said casing is provided; a bolt slidably mounted in said casing; a helical spring device exerting from both terminals of said spring a spring ten sion in opposite directions and adapted to operatively engage said door opening device and said bolt; and means for retracting said bolt while the door is closed; whereby said spring device operates only said bolt to an advanced position projecting beyond. the face of said casing when the door is closed against said door opening device and operates only the said door opening device to open door position when said bolt is retracted permitting said door opening device to open the door, said bolt remaining in a retracted position while the door remains open.

6. In a door latch having a proper casing; a longitudinally movable bolt slidably mounted within said casing; a laterally movable door opening member with which the face of said casing is provided: a helical spring mechanism adapted normally to remain idle when the door is open, said spring mechanism I also being adapted to exert from both terminals of said helical spring an alternate tension first on said bolt, when the door is closed againstsaid opening member, and then on said door opening member when said bolt is retracted while the door remains closed; and manually operative means for retracting said bolt while the door is closed.

7. In a door latch having a proper casing; a bolt slidablymounted within said casing, a door opening member with which the face of said casing is provided; a helical spring mechanism adapted normally to remain idle when the door is open, said spring mechanism being adapted to exert from both terminals of said helical spring an alternate tension first to advance said bolt when the door is closing against said opening member and then to operate said door opening memher when said bolt is retracted while the door is in a closed position; manually operative means for removing said tension of said helical spring from said bolt when the door is closed; and spring means for re-.

tracting said bolt when said bolt advancing spring tension is removed from said bolt.

8. In a door latch comprising a proper casing having a face provided with a bolt passage; a bolt slidably mounted within said casing. said bolt being provided with a head adapted for projection beyond the face of said casing; a door opening member with which the face of said casing is provided; a spring device exerting from both terminals of one helical spring, all of the coils of which lie substantially in the same plane, spring tension in opposite directions, one of said spring terminals operatively adapted to engage and advance said bolt and the other of said spring terminals being adapted to directly engage said door opening member; means for retracting said bolt while the door is closed; and a keeper adapted to receive said head, to check the full advancement of said bolt and to maintain a fixed non-rattling relation with said head while the door remains fully closed.

9. In a door latching device comprising a door latch. and a striker-plate, said door latch comprising a proper casing having a face; two independently moveable elements moveably mounted within said casing and operating beyond said face, each of said elements adapted to engage said strikerplate in right angle directions of one element to the other; spring means with which each of said two elements is provided; and manually operative means adapted to disengage said elements in their engagements with said striker-plate.

. 10. In a door latching device comprising a door latch and a striker-plate, said door latch comprising a proper casing having a face; two independently moveable elements move-ably mounted within said casing and each element operating beyond the face of said casing in right angle converging directions one to the other; a spring means by which each of said two elements is springpressed, one of said elements by one terminal and the other of said elements by the other terminal of the same spring; and manually operative means for disengaging said two elements from their engagements with said striker-plate; whereby said two ele ments are adapted to automatically engage said striker-plate by a movement of one element which is right angle to the movement of the other element upon the closing of the door, the said movements of said elements engaging said striker-plate occurring in seqnence and the element firstengaging said striker-plate automatically winding said spring and operating said other element to its engaging position.

In testimony whereof I have atfixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE HENRY EIAVELL. Witnesses DOROTHY A. ELWELL, Frances M,

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